Automatic piano.



-PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907.

M. CLARK.

AUTOMATIC PIANO.

A LIOATION FILED DEO.26. 1905.

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1 a y 4 .3 j w J w A m UNITED STATES MELVILLE CLARK, OF OHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC PANo.

No. &46,090.

Specification of Letters Patents.

Patented March 5, 1907.

Application filed December 26.1905. Serial No. 293.157,

. improved disposition of such devices with re- 'spect to the piano case and action, the construction being contrived for such improved dis-position or arrangement.

lt consists of the features of Construction set out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical foreand-aft sectional View of a portion of a piano having the improved interior playing devices of this invention. Fig. 2 is a section at the line 2 2 on Fig. 1, the portion corresponding to the middle portion of the manual being broken out to condense the view.

The drawings show a pianocase of the usual Construction, requiring no specific descri tion. i

T ie parts of the case will be referred to by their customary names, so far as necessary to mention them in locating or defining the position of the parts which particularly concernthe presentinvention. The pumpers 1 and the eXhaust-air bellows or receiver 2 are mounted upon opposite sides of the foundation-board 3, all being detachably secured to the under side of the key-table 4, the specific Construction shown being that which is more particularly described in my Patent No. 795,817, August 1, 1905, involving the employment of hanger-boards 5, interposed bei tween the foundation-board 3 below the pumpcrs and a board 6, which extends above the pumpers and being detachably secured to the under side of the key-table serves to connect the entire bellows Construction thue 'far described removably with the key table below the latter. I

The pneumatic-action`is mounted entirely above the key-table.

contains the primary neumatics 9 for operthe latter. l the stroke-buttons to the levers 19 is conthe chamber S-or the outer atmospheric air, the motorrpneumatics being put in communication with the rarefied air When the primary pneunatics are inflated to cause the valves to close the Orte-13 and bein in communication With tie outer atmosp eric air when the primary pneumatics are collapsed to cause the valves to seat over the ports 13'\ This action is familiar and requires no further explanation. The moto'r-pneumatics are distributed *in aplurality oi' banks or horizontal levels, three such banks being employed in the Construction as. illustratcd in' the drawii'gs, thereby allowing to each motor-pneumatic a lateral space corresponding to that allotted to three keys of the manual.- The pneumatics in these three banks or levels are disposed in staggered order to permit the connections from the several pneumatics of the upper levels to the corresponding manual-keys to eXtend between the like connections from the pneumatics of the lower levels.

The three banks or levels of motor-pneumatics are mounted, respectively, on three shelves or supports 14, rigidly secured together one above another, constituting parts of a rigid frame structure, which comprises beside said shelves the front duet-board 15, top duet-board 16, and spacing-posts 17 at 4 the ends and at intervals in the length of the shelves at or near the rear edges of the latter. The duet-boards 15 and 16 contain the ducts 11 for connecting the motor-pneumatics respectively with their controlling-primaries. The motor-pneumatics 12 have their moving members 12 at the lower side, so that they move upward in the collapsing of the pneumatics. They are hinged at their forward ends, and at their rear e'nds they are connected each by a downwardly-extending pitman or link 18 with the rear end of the lever 19. These levers 19 extend fore'and aft under the motor-pneumatic system, having their fulcrums intermediate their ende supported on the rigid motor-pneumatic hame` At the forward end each lever car ries a stroke-button 20, adjustably Secured at the lower side of the lever overhanging the The adjustable attachment of ating the valves 10, w ich control communii veniently effected by mounting each of said cation oi the ducts 11, which lead to the mo l tor-pneumatics 12, with the rareied air of l whose upper end having a slotted head is 110 buttons on. the lower end of a screw 21,

IOO

I i This action comprises proper manual-key forward of the fulcrum of the custoinary exhau st-air chamber 8, which chamber 8, containing the primary pneunatics and sometimes termed the vprimarypneumatic chamber, is mounted upon the rear part `of the inotor-pneumatic frame that is to say, at the rear edge of the horizontal duet-board 16. This relative' arrangement of the primary-pneumatic chamber and the motor-pneumatic frame and system of motor-pneumaties permits theintroduction of the entire action within a piano-case of. customary or ord nary construction, the primary-pneumati'c chamberbeing located inmiediately behind the musicdesk 25 and the motor-pneumatic system constituting a rectangular structure which occupies a space under the she'lf or shoulder 26 below and forward of the desk and above and rearward of the manual.

It will be noticed also that the levers 19 eXtend forward beyond the forward side of the motor-pneumatic frame far enough to expose the` heads of the screws 21 forward of the front vertical panel 27, which bounds at the forward side said shouldered portion of the case within which the motor-pneumatic system is'contaned. A removable strip 28 at the foot of the shouldered portion of the ease immediately rearward of the manual serves to protect these screws and upon its removal to give easy access to them for adjustment It will be no ticed that the described arrangement and location' of the primarypneumatic chamber causes the atmospheric- -air ports '13 and the valves 10 to be exposed at the forward side, where the valves are readily accessible for adjustment. Also that the vents 29 for the primary pneumatics are readily made accessible at the same forward side by completing thejclosure of the primarypneumatic ehamber at 'the forward side by a removable plate 31, upon the removal of which the venting-apertures can be investigated and manipulated for the well-known purpose for which this is desirable. Every part of the pneumatic-action, thercfore, re-

quiring access for adjustment either to other parts of the pn'eumaticaction or to the manual-keys is accessible at 'the front and 'above the manual--that is to say, in the easiest position for doing any work necessary to be done upon these parts. The minimum de ree of expertness is therefore necessary in orer to keep the automatic playing devices in order and to adjust them for any purpose for which such adjustment may become necessary.

The controlliug-sheet 32, take-up and rewind rolls 33 and 34, and. the Operating mcchanism for the rolls, together with the tracker-board 35, are mounted in their cusof flexible tubes and disposed in any space Conveniently available when extending behind the take-up roll to reach the trackerboard. The entire pneumatic-aetion above the manual-keys is mounted so as to be handled integrally, the frame 37, in which the tracker-board is nounted, and the take-up and rewind rolls are j ournaled, and on which the framework of the motor mechanisin of whatever sort for rewindin; the rolls is also mounted, being itself mounted rigidly upon the top of the primary-pncumatic'air-chamber 8. This air-chamber has its ends extending beyond the motor-pneumatic .i'rarne structure, so as to overhang the key-table, through which pipes 1:58 38 extend for connecting the said chamber S with the rcceivcr 2, mounted, as described, below the key-table, connecting-passagesbeing made through the hanger-boards 5 which extend, as described, from the foundation-board 3 to the key-table.

I claim- 1. In an automatic piano, in combination with the piano-case and the manual-keys, a pneumatic-action comprising motor-pneumatics and their controlling and Operating devices contained in the piano-case, such motor-pneumatics being extendcd horizontally above the rear portion of the manualkeys within the ease, having their movin'g' members at their lower side and hinged at their forward ends for lifting at their rear endsin the Collapse of the pneumatics levers fulcrumed upon the lower side of the motorpneumatic-supporting frame extending fore and aft underneath the latter Operating con.- nections from the rear ends of such levers to the rear ends of the motor-pneumatics respectively, said levers at their forward ends overhanging and being adapted to act down wardly upon the respective keys of the manual forward of the fulcrums of 'the latter.

2. In an'automatic piano, in eombination with the piano-case and the manual-keys, a pneumatic-action comprising inotor-pneumatics and their controlling and Operating devices eontained in the piano-case, such motor-pneumatics being extended horizontally above the rear portion of the manualkeyswithin the case, having their moving IOO &46,090

members at their lower side and hinged at their forward ends for lifting at their rear ends in the collapse of the pneumatics levers fulcrumed upon the lower side of the motorpneumatic-supporting frame extending fore and aft underneath the latter Operating connections from the rear ends of such levers to i the rear ends of the motor-pneumatics respectively; striker-buttons adjustably 'mounted 'devices contained in the piano-ease, such motor-pneumatics being extended horizontally above the rear portion of the manualkeys within the case, having their moving members at their lower side and hinged at their forward ends' for lifting at their rear ends in the Collapse of the pneumatios levers fulcrumed upon the lower side of the motorpneumatic-'supporting frame eXtending fore and aft underneath the latter Operating connections from the rear ends of such levers to the rear ends of the motor-pneumatics respeetively; striker-buttons having threaded 2' stems set through the forward ends' of the lei Vers with the buttons at the lower'end of the stens overhanging the respective keys of the manual forward of the fulcrums of thelatter, the upper ends of the stems being upwardly accessible for adjustment of'the buttons.

4. In an automatic piano, in eombination i with the piano-case having baci\ of the manual an elevated or shouldered portion' inclosed at the upper and forward side, and having the music-desh extending up from the rear of the shelf f ormed by the upper side of said shoiildered portion, a pneumatic-action comprising a system of motor-pneumatics housed within said shouldered portion and having a supporting-hame which at the upper side protrudes inwardly beyond the lower end of the desh; a primary-pneumatie chamber mounted upon ,said rearwardlyprotruding portion of the motor-pneumatie 'frame and extending upwardly therefrom behind the desh, the motor-pneumatics of said system having their moving members located at the lower side and hinged at the forward end for lifting at the rear ends in the Collapse of the pneumatics; fore-and-aft extending levers fulcrumed intermediate their ends on the lower side of the motor-ph nmatic frame; conneetions from the moving members of the pneumatics to the rear ends of said levers respectively, said levers being 4 eXtended forwardly beyond the lower edge I of the forward inclosing side of said shouli dered portion of the case and adapted to be exposed upwardly at said forward ends, and strikers mountedon said npwardly-exposed ends overhanging the manual-keys respectively forward of the fulcrums of the latter. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the' presence of two witnesses, at Chicago, Illinois; this 20th day of December,

4 MELVILLE oLARn.

i In presence of M. GERTRUDE ADY,

I J. S. ABBOTT. 

